


Saturday night's alright for fighting

by ask_catnip



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Cop AU, Love Triangles, M/M, Maylor - Freeform, Rare Pairings, TayTay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-07-31 14:34:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20116657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ask_catnip/pseuds/ask_catnip
Summary: Brian is the light of his life, and Crystal is the shadow from his past.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from the Elton John song.  
Contains mild violence.

Saturday night is always busy for this small club in Soho. 

It’s half past nine, still early for the night creatures to crawl out of their dens, but people are already lining up at the door below gigantic gold and red letters. Inside, the place is an eccentric mix of modern industrial and 70s vintage. The spinning lights and misty air create a nerve numbing illusion; young bodies twisting and shaking on the dance floor form a lively painting of expressionism. 

Away from the most exhilarated crowd, a girl is sitting at the bar by herself. Her blonde hair drapes over the shoulders, she wears a light blue blouse and a miniskirt that complement her lithe figure. 

A pink bubbly drink was placed on the bar in front of the girl just a minute after she sat down, from the guy in blue shirt, as the bartender explained. She smiled awkwardly at the bartender, and peeked behind him to look at the man who was beaming at her.

“Roger, can you hear me? Roger?”

A voice is speaking from the small device in the _girl_’s ear, just loud enough for her to hear without attracting any attention from the crowd around her. 

“Stop screaming into my ears, May!” The _girl_ hisses into the microphone hidden in her wrist watch as she pretends to brush her hair back with one hand. “Don’t talk to me unless your panties are on fire!”

“Just want to make sure you don’t drink or eat anything, don’t trust anyone in there. You are just there to observe, don’t make yourself a target.”  
“I know, I’m not an idiot! Now shut up, I’ve got work to do!”

The girl, or better known as detective sergeant Roger Taylor, looks around for any abnormality in the club. He and his partner detective inspector Brian May are on a case concerning a new “date drug” that has been circulating in the Soho clubs. They’re supposed to be gathering information here today, except that Roger came up with an “unconventional” idea for disguise. All he can see is men gawking at him from every corner of the club. So much for not drawing unnecessary attention. 

“Ugh, men are disgusting.” Roger grunted.  
“And you are one of them.”  
“Yeah, the worst kind.”  
“Shut up you two!” Roger almost yelled at the other two who are speaking on the other side of the intercom. 

“Seriously, Roger, it was your own idea to go in as a woman.”  
“I know, I know...” Roger grits his teeth, “do you have to remind me now?”  
“Freddie is only being faithful to the truth.” Another voice chuckles.  
“Oh, John, don’t be so harsh on him, he’s already being punished for his ignorance.” Freddie coughs deliberately trying to suppress a laugh, “ignorant of his own beauty!”

Roger swears he would abort the mission and go murder his two so called friends if Brian hasn’t interrupted then.

“Alright, alright, guys let’s focus. John, is the GPS working?”  
“Yep, loud and clear.” Answers John. 

“Why are you even in the intercom, Freddie? It’s not your case!” Roger rolls his eyes.  
“I’m here for the moral support, dear.” Then Freddie pauses and sighs, “it’s Saturday night and I don’t have a date, what else am I supposed to do? Get drunk in my own tears?”

“No need to get miserable now, Fred, how about we all go for a drink later?” Brian offers lightly.  
“Sure, John and I will be waiting for you two in the office, then we can all go down to Hot Space!”

Roger winces at that idea, “I thought that club closed for good.”  
“Definitely not!” Freddie gasps.

Roger idly listens to Freddie explaining the whole drama about the club where he and John used to hang out together, while searching for any suspicious activity. Just then somebody grabs his arm so hard he nearly jumps out of his skins. 

“Christ, what the...”  
“Help! Help me! Please!!”

He turns to see a girl’s face right in front of him, with makeup washed down her cheeks by tears, eyes bulged, pupils dilated. She keeps screaming for help, but somehow nobody around them seems to care.

“Ok, can you calm down a bit? What’s going on?” Roger tries to untangle himself from the girl’s grip, and keeps an eye around for anything the girl might be scared of. 

“Help! They are... they are taking me away!”  
“What? Who?”

“Roger, what’s going on? Who’s that?” Brian’s anxious voice comes through the earphone.  
“Um, we may have to abort the mission. There is a girl asking for help.” Roger gets off from the stool and wraps an arm around the girl into a protective hold. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her, but she won’t let me go.”  
“Stay where you are, I’m going inside to get you.” Says Brian.  
“No, this place is a mess, I’m taking her to the car, you wait for us.” Roger ignores Brian’s advice and leads the girls toward the exit.

Outside the club, a white saloon is parked near the valley only one street away. The door on the driver’s side suddenly opens, a tall man with dark curly hair storms out into the street.

Brian has a bad feeling about this, and his instinct is always right. Especially when it’s about Roger. Just as he runs across the streets and the clubs comes into sight, the back door of the club flings open, his partner comes out with a girl hanging on his arm.

“Ro...Roger!” Brian’s voice cracks when he sees two tall figures emerging from the shadow of the walls and hit Roger in the back of the head, then both Roger and the girl are dragged into a car parked just few feet away.

“Fuck!” Brian almost loses his mind the moment he saw Roger fell, but his training comes back and he immediately runs back to his car. 

“What the fuck is happening!?” Freddie asks in their intercom.  
“Somebody kidnapped Roger.” Brian answers as he starts the engine. He remembers that car, he needs to hurry and gets Roger out of there before anything terrible happens. “John, where is he?”  
“They just got out on the street, heading south.”

As Brian is exiting the valley, the car that took Roger and the girl swooshes by right in front of him.

Seconds later, a black Bentley comes out of nowhere and cuts right before Brian.

“What the fuck!” It’s the second time Brian has cursed in the past minute, already exceeding his daily share. 

He stomps angrily on the pedal, causing the saloon roaring in maximum effort, but it barely catches up with the car that took Roger or even the Bentley that’s now chasing after it.

Brian turns the siren on, but neither of the two cars seems to be slowing down, he grits his teeth and hands clutching hard onto the steering wheel as the saloon makes its way through the traffic passing several traffic lights. 

In desperate attempt of getting rid of its chasers, the car with Roger in it takes a sudden turn and hits the truck at the corner. The black Bentley stops right by it with a loud squeal, and a man exits from the driver’s door. 

The man approaches the car that’s smashed into the back of the truck, and peaks into it, he only sees the girl and Roger, who’s lying unconsciously in the back seat. He tries to open the door from one side, the sound startles the girl, who turns to stare at him with horrified eyes.

Just then, his ears pick up a sound from behind, he turns immediately to face his attacker, and stops the metal bar midway from cracking his skull. 

Another guy charges at him with a bat, the man grabs the metal bar from the first guy and hits his gut with it, then with a smooth turn, the man crouches down and strikes the second attacker on the knees.

“Stop! Don’t move!” Brian runs from his car with the engine still running, he holds a gun in his hands, pointing first at the man, then at the two men lying on the ground. 

“Good to see you, Brian.” The man doesn’t seem to be intimidated by the gun, he just walks over to open the car and checks carefully on Roger. 

“I said don’t move, that includes you, Crystal!” Much as Brian wants Crystal to follow his order, he can’t risk letting the bad guys run away. 

“What the hell are you all doing anyway? What is Roger’s doing in a miniskirt?” Crystal gestured at the backseat with a smirk, “I didn’t know you fancy Roger this way, Brian.” 

“It’s for work!” Brian finishes cuffing the two men on the pavement growling in pain, just in time as the backup squad arrives, thanks to John’s efficiency, he hurries to the side of the car where Roger is still lying.

“He was undercover for a case...” Brian leans down to check his partner’s pulse, thankfully it’s perfectly normal.

“Well, then he isn’t very much ‘covered’, is he?” 

It’s only a joke from Crystal’s side, but it sounds sarcastic in Brian’s ears. Brian takes off his own jacket and covers Roger with it. 

“You are coming with us too, Crystal.” Brian says, carrying Roger out of the car.

“For what?”  
“For assaulting these two men.”  
“Are you fucking with me? They kidnapped Roger!”  
“And you almost killed them.”  
“I barely touched them.”  
“With a metal bar.”

Crystal falls silent as two of the officers come to take him away.

“You are just jealous, Brian.” Crystal says as he passes by the other man.

Brian keeps on walking until he puts Roger down on the stretcher, his knuckles turning white with his fists tightened.


	2. Chapter 2

It’s the sense of lightness that makes Roger realize he’s dreaming. 

He sees everything as if looking through frosted glass, like he sometimes feels without his lenses. There are figures moving in front of him, a woman and a child. He recognizes the woman, blonde hair with delicate features, it’s his mother. And that little boy must be himself. 

_Mummy!_

The boy calls out. But his mother doesn’t look back, she’s running away, golden tresses flying behind her. 

Mother! Roger cries in his dream, both the woman and the child stop. His mother turns around, and he almost shudders, she looks exactly the same as the last time he’s ever seen her. 

_Come to me, my boy_

She says. Then everything starts swirling...

“Wake up, princess.”  
“Ugh...” The splitting pain in the back of his head is agonizing, “what the fuck happened?”  
“You got whacked.” Crystal hands him a cup of water.  
“Yeah, no shit!” Roger grunts but takes the water nonetheless, his vision gradually focuses on the surroundings, and he finds everything all too familiar. They are in his office at the agency building. 

Roger squints at the man sitting on the chair opposite of him, wearing a big grin on his face. 

“Since when do gangsters walk into the NCA of their own free will?”  
“I did not walk in here on my own.” Crystal raises his hands, the handcuffs clunk on his wrists, “I got nicked by your boyfriend.”  
“My what?” Roger throws him a doubtful look, opens the top drawer of his desk in search for a key to the cuffs. 

“Don’t you fancy Brian?”  
Roger scoffs at that question which sounds more like a statement from the other man. He finally finds the key and releases Crystal, who drops the cuffs on the desk with a thud. 

Roger pats his pockets for pack of cigarettes, only to realize he’s wearing Brian’s old tracksuit. 

_Ah_

The events of that night come flashing back, the club, the cross dressing, the girl, and the blackout. 

“I wish Freddie hadn’t taken that little skirt off so fast.” Crystal amuses, “I was enjoying it so much.”  
“Oh, were you?” Roger puts on a seductive smile, arms hooked around Crystal’s neck, “would you enjoy it more if I kick your balls in that little skirt, like the bad girl I am?”

They are standing so close now Roger is practically breathing on Crystal’s neck. Crystal stares down at him with much tenderness in his eyes, he has missed this, he has missed Roger.  
He has been protecting Roger from a distance for the past four years, but never had the chance to be so close to him. The outline of Roger’s face is softer than he remembered, his skin is slightly tan from the policing that requires of him to spend time outdoors, all of that making him even more desirable.

“You’ve got lipstick all over...”

Crystal cups Roger’s jaw and rubs a thumb on his lips in attempt to remove the crimson color, his calloused finger against Roger’s parted soft lips, temptation grows as time goes by, and Roger closes his eyes. 

Crystal is almost touching Roger’s lips with his, when a sudden thump interrupts, and turns both of their heads toward the door. Brian is standing stiff in the doorway, with a large folder in his hands.

“Your charge has been dropped, you can leave now.” Brian strides directly to Crystal without looking at the blond, whose face is a little flushed by now. He puts down the folder, and looks for keys in the pocket before he realizes Crystal is already handcuff free. 

“Did you take his cuffs off?” Brian turns to Roger in disbelief.  
“What? He’s not gonna run away!” Roger retorts.  
“That’s not the point!” Brian gives a quick glance at Crystal’s curious face before taking Roger aside, “you know why you are still a sergeant, but Deacy, who joined the force later than you, is already an inspector?”  
“Because of my arsehole gangster dad?” Roger rolls his eyes.  
“Um, no, not really. It’s because you always do things off the book!” Brian says with a voice a little higher than usual.  
“Ugh! Stop patronizing me!” Roger grunts and pushes the taller man away, ignoring Brian calling him from behind, he storms out of the door and runs seven floors down to the street in blind rage.

“I’m free to go, you said?” Crystal nods at Brian, who’s now staring intensely at the direction Roger has gone, with his mouth pressing into a line. Crystal takes the elevator down, and manages to catch Roger just outside the building.

It’s half past four, the morning sun hasn’t came out yet, the sky is still dark, embellished with twinkling stars. 

Crystal stops Roger from furiously running into the street, and holds him in his arms for a little while as Roger kicks and punches the anger out.

“That’s alright, let it go.” Crystal hushes. It’s that familiar feeling when Crystal has to calm Roger’s tantrums. He used to do it often when Roger was younger, when he was only a lad himself, petrified by the frequent outbursts, worried someday he would not be able to control the situation, and Roger would go mad. Fortunately, Roger got better with time, and Crystal got better at handling him.

“I’m fine now.” Roger says breathily, “let go of me.”  
Crystal raises his hands up in surrender, “alright.” He then take a cigarette from his pocket and lights it for Roger.

“See? Not my boyfriend.” Roger says in a haze of blue smoke.  
It takes a few seconds for Crystal to realize what the other man was saying, he doesn’t know what to reply to that, so he keeps his silence.  
But Roger seems to have more to ramble about.  
“He always treats me like I’m sort of incompetent idiot, always ‘Roger, don’t do this, Roger, you are gonna get hurt’, why does he care if I get hurt, he doesn’t even like me!”

Hard for Crystal to acknowledge, but at that moment he actually starts to sympathize with this Brian fella. It’s quite obvious to him, or to anyone with clean conscience, that Brian is completely under Roger’s spell, but Roger is just too headstrong to see it. 

“Why don’t you go and ask him?” Fuck, that comes out bitterer than Crystal has intended.  
But Roger is too invested in his thoughts about Brian and doesn’t notice the bitterness at all, he stares bleakly at the pavement and makes a sad frown. 

“Come on.” Crystal’s heart hurts a little seeing Roger like this. He knows that Roger isn’t his to claim, but Roger wasn’t anyone’s until this guy with curly hair showed up in their lives. “let’s get you home.”  
He holds Roger’s shoulders, while the shorter man dragging his feet along next to him. 

Brian arrives at the office on early Monday morning, he hasn’t been able to sleep well after Roger dashing out on hims one day ago. Roger’s reddened angry face has been haunting him, and Brian would be lying to say he’s not regretting it.  
It’s not the first time that has happened, Brian can’t control himself not being overly worried or protective of Roger, even though he knows very well that Roger hates it. Despite all his good intentions, the words always turn harsh and, well, patronizing, whenever Brian is faced with the man just two years younger than him, who has the most beautiful eyes and eclectic soul.

Brian takes a deep breath, it’s embarrassing to be turned on a little merely from the thoughts of another person, and it’s utterly frustrating that this person is constantly pushing him away. 

The office is still empty, Brian sighs and sits down to do some paperwork before everyone arrives and the real work starts. He’s startled by the ringing of the phone on Roger’s desk next to his. After the fifth ring, he decides to pick it up.

“Hello.”  
“May I speak to Mr. Roger Taylor, please?”

A young lady’s voice comes through from the receiver, velvety, with a little bit of accent. 

“I’m afraid he’s not available at the moment. May I ask who is this? Would you like to leave a message?”  
“Yes, please. My name is Dominique Beyrand, and I’d like to meet with Mr. Taylor.”


End file.
